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Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Biscochito Tiramisu (and feature in Albuquerque the Magazine)

Biscochito Tiramisu

This is a very special post that I'm sharing with you today! I was extremely fortunate to have been contacted by the editor-in-chief of Albuquerque the Magazine last month to be featured for the "My Favorite Recipe" section in their September 2012 issue! He originally loved the idea of the New Mexico Pile-Up that I posted a couple months ago, but I was afraid readers wouldn't think of it as being very creative, so he asked if I had another recipe that I thought would fit. I suggested my biscochito tiramisu recipe and he loved the idea! The magazine came out the first week in September and I've been so excited and honored to be a part of the magazine this month. Everyone that I've had contact with who are part of the magazine have been so nice and helpful, it's been a great experience. Also, there was a typo in the tiramisu recipe-- it should be 1 Tablespoon of sugar, NOT 1 cup in the mascarpone filling! So, please, if you see the magazine, only use 1 Tbs of sugar! This is corrected in the photos I've uploaded (thank you, Photoshop) and in the recipe reflected below. There should also be a correction in the October issue of Albuquerque the Magazine. :-)

Several years ago, I basically combined both my grandma's biscochito recipe (which is a traditional New Mexican cookie and actually the official state cookie of New Mexico!) and my mom's tiramisu recipe for this beautiful and scrumptious delight. I've made it several times throughout the years and have even made it for my family's "Iron Chef" challenge that we used to do every Christmas. I typically make it around the holidays when I do my Christmas baking, but I've also made it for special occasions including a Super Bowl party.

This is one of the desserts that I'm most proud of, and I love sharing it with others. New Mexicans, who have a big fondness for biscochitos, are always very excited when I share this dish with them. It's a nice twist on a decadent dessert, New Mexican style!

This is a very rich dessert. For one 9x9 baking dish or medium sized serving dish, this has two containers of mascarpone cheese and between 2 to 3 dozen cookies! Once prepared, this dish has a little bit of heft to it! You can also double the recipe to fit in a larger serving dish or a 10x13 baking dish. I've also made them into individual servings in little mini trifle glasses or other individual serving dishes. You can see by the photos that I'm sharing with you, there's photos of the 9x9 dish and individual trifle glasses in the magazine. There are also photos of other individual servings and a 10x13 baking dish that I've prepared. You can definitely adapt this to how you want to serve this to your family or friends, it's very forgiving.

For the mascarpone filling:
1. Put the egg whites in a mixing bowl (preferably glass or stainless steel) and, with an electric
mixer, beat until glossy and stiff peaks form.
2. In a separate large mixing bowl, beat together mascarpone, vanilla, sugar, and egg yolks until
well-combined.
3. Gently fold egg whites into the mascarpone mixture until well-combined. It should look smooth
and velvety. (This may take a little bit of patience, so don't give up.)
4. Place a couple spoonfuls of the filling on the bottom of a large serving bowl.

For the coffee mixture:
1. In another smaller bowl, combine the coffee and the liqueur.

To assemble:
1. Place 1/3 of the mascarpone filling on the bottom of a large serving bowl.
2. Quickly dip half of the biscochitos individually in the coffee mixture and layer on top of the
mascarpone filling. I like my cookie layer a little more juicy, so I dip the cookies a little longer
but you don’t want them in there so long that they start to disintegrate. (Sometimes I also like to
spoon a little of the coffee mixture over the cookie layer too.) Also, it’s okay if the cookies aren’t
in a single layer.
3. Spread another 1/3 of the mascarpone filling on top of the biscochito layer.
4. Using the remaining biscochitos, repeat the process of dipping them in the coffee mixture and
layer them over the mascarpone filling.
5. Spread the last 1/3 of the remaining mascarpone filling over the bisochitos.
6. Sprinkle cinnamon or cinnamon sugar on top for garnish.
7. Chill the biscochito tiramisu in the fridge until ready to serve and store any leftovers in the fridge.